According to court documents obtained Friday by News4, prosecutors recommended former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell spend at least 18 months in prison.

Her husband, former Va. Governor Bob McDonnell, had been sentenced to two years in prison, but will remain free during his appeals process. Court document say based on the decreased sentence her husband received, a similar decrease was applied in turn to Maureen McDonnell.

"Because Mrs. McDonnell was a full participant in a bribery scheme that sold the Governor’s office in exchange for luxury goods and sweetheart loans, many of which she solicited personally, and because she repeatedly attempted to thwart the investigation through false representations, it would be unjust for her not to serve a period of incarceration for her crimes," documents said.

McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were found guilty last year of accepting more than $165,000 in gifts, trips and loans from wealthy vitamin executive Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his products.